Saturday, February 23, 2008

Best Root Canal Ever

A couple of weeks ago I had my second root canal. The way people talk about them, you'd think they were sheer torture!

Lucky for me, when I had the consultation for my first root canal, almost two years ago, the endodontist, Dr. Richard Bush, assured me that it was a tedious procedure, taking about an hour and a half, but not very painful or scary.

He was right. So when my regular dentist, Dr. Valentina Pasquantonio, told me I needed yet another, I asked her if it would make sense to find someone cheaper, even though I really liked Dr. Bush.

Dr. P assured me that Dr. Bush just makes it look easy, and I'd do best to stick with him. I listened.

This second tooth was really sensitive, which scared me. Dr. Bush, who is as kindly and reassuring as Dr. Marcus Welby (if you're old enough to remember who he was), told me that the novacaine used for root canals was better than the one usually used.

Sure enough, the novacaine shots were the worst part. After that, I didn't feel a thing.

My wallet, on the other hand, was wincing with pain.

If you live in eastern Massachusetts and you need a root canal, I highly recommend Dr. Richard Bush of Middlesex Endodontics, which has offices in Burlington and Winchester, MA. I also recommend my regular dentist, Dr. Valentina Pasquantonio of West Concord.

If you're nowhere near Massachusetts and you need a root canal, please take comfort in the fact that a coward like me finds them more tedious than scary or painful.